Aces edge Storm 75-70 as Loyd's free throws secure win

Washington Post

02-06-2025

SEATTLE — A'ja Wilson had 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals, Jewell Loyd hit two free throws with 6.1 seconds left, and Las Vegas gave up most of a 17-point lead before the Aces beat the Seattle Storm 75-70 on Sunday.
Loyd, who was traded to Las Vegas in January after 10 seasons with the Storm, finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Jackie Young added 12 points.
Dominique Malonga scored Seattle's first eight fourth-quarter points and Erica Wheeler added eight more to help the Storm cut their deficit to three points when Gabby Williams made a layup with 37.8 seconds left. The Storm forced a shot-clock violation to take possession with 13.1 seconds remaining but the 6-foot-6 Malonga missed a turn-around jumper in the lane over Wilson, the WNBA defensive player of the year in 2022 and 2023.
Loyd's free throws capped the scoring.
The 19-year-old Malonga was the No. 2 pick in April's draft , part of the package Seattle received in return for Loyd, who requested to be traded.
Rookie Aaliyah Nye scored a season-high 10 points for the Aces, and Chelsea Gray also had 10 points.
LIBERTY 100, SUN 52
NEW YORK — New York matched its own WNBA record by hitting 19 3-pointers with a victory over Connecticut.
The victory was the largest in franchise history, eclipsing a 43-point win over Washington in 1998. New York fell short of the all-time scoring margin record of 59 points held by Minnesota in a victory over Indiana in 2017.
Sabrina Ionescu led New York with 18 points while Jonquel Jones added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Breanna Stewart and Leonie Fiebich also had 13 points. All four sat out for nearly the entire fourth quarter.
Still, New York improved to 7-0 for the first time since the 1997 season.
New York also hit 19 3-pointers against Chicago on May 22 to break the previous league record. The Liberty almost eclipsed that mark through three quarters as they hit 18 3s in the first 30 minutes, but they went cold in the fourth from the outside, only making one.
The Liberty finished off a busy week by winning their fourth game in six days. They now have a bit of a break now with their next game in Washington on Thursday.
MERCURY 85, SPARKS 80
LOS ANGELES — Satou Sabally had 24 points, nine rebounds and four steals, Kathryn Westbeld and Kitija Laksa each scored 15 and Phoenix overcame an 18-point first-half deficit to beat Los Angeles.
Westbeld made an open 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2:11 left in the third quarter to give the Mercury their first lead, 58-57, since it was 14-13 in the opening frame. Sabally added two free throws to cap Phoenix's 23-7 run.
Los Angeles guard Kelsey Plum forced a jump ball with 1:06 left in the fourth and the Sparks took possession. Los Angeles had three chances at the other end, trailing 80-78, but Plum missed a 3-pointer and a free-throw line jumper before turning it over on a drive into the lane.
Laksa made two free throws for Phoenix with 18.9 left and Westbeld added two at 9.9 for an 84-80 lead.
Sami Whitcomb made three of Phoenix's 12 3-pointers and finished with 11 points. Monique Akoa Makani had 10 points and six assists for the Mercury.
Odyssey Sims led Los Angeles with 32 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Plum was 4 of 19 from the field for 15 points, and Dearica Hamby had 15 points and eight boards.
LYNX 86, VALKYRIES 75
SAN FRANCISCO — Napheesa Collier had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Courtney Williams added 20 points, five rebounds and five assists and Minnesota beat expansion Golden State.
Minnesota tied with New York a top the WNBA standings after losing in the championship series to the Liberty last season.
The Valkyries made WNBA history with three consecutive sellout crowds in the first three home games at the 18,064-capacity Chase Center, which is also the home of the NBA's Golden State Warriors.
Williams hit a 3-pointer 3:01 into the third quarter that gave the Lynx the lead for good and sparked a 27-5 run, capped when Collier and Williams hit 3s 27 seconds apart to make it 83-61 with 5:43 to play. Natisha Hiedeman scored all of her eight points and added two assists and two steals in Minnesota's game-breaking spurt.
Kayla McBride scored 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting and Bridget Carleton added 12 points for the Lynx.
Veronica Burton hit three 3-pointers and finished with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting for Golden State. Kate Martin added 14 points and Kayla Thornton had 11.